Description - Laurinda by Alice Pung

When my dad dropped us off at the front gate, the first things I saw were the rose garden spreading out on either side of the main driveway and the enormous sign in iron cursive letters spelling out LAURINDA. No 'Ladies College' after it, of course; the name was meant to speak for itself. Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its secret core is the Cabinet, a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates - and some of their teachers. Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. As she watches the Cabinet at work, and is courted by them, Lucy finds herself in a battle for her identity and integrity. Funny, feisty and moving, Laurinda explores Lucy's struggle to stay true to herself as she finds her way in a new world of privilege and opportunity. 'Alice Pung totally nails it with Laurinda. Funny, horrifying, and sharp as a serpent's fangs.' John Marsden

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Book Reviews - Laurinda by Alice Pung

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A fascinating, fictional account of a young girl's experience in an Australian private girls school, Alice Pung's Laurinda is impossible to put down.

Told from the viewpoint of Lucy, a Vietnamese immigrant on scholarship, Laurinda touches upon familiar themes for a book about school aged young adults -- boys, mean girls, family life, status, class, authority -- but does so in a thoroughly unique way. We see things, quite clearly, from the viewpoint of the smart, no nonsense protagonist and join her as she adjusts to a new school and a new phase in her life. The clever ending perfectly wraps up this multi-faceted account of her young life from school to family to friends she's left behind.

Highly enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Author Biography - Alice Pung

Alice Pung is a writer, editor, teacher and lawyer based in Melbourne. Born a month after her Chinese parents fled from Cambodia to Australia as asylum seekers from Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime, Alice has used her shared family's experiences to write stories that captivate all readers.
She has won numerous awards including the 2007 Newcomer of the Year Award in the Australia Book Industry Awards for her first book Unpolished Gem. Her next book Her Father's Daughter won the Western Australia Premier's Book Award for Non Fiction, and it was also shortlisted for the Premier's Literary Awards in Victoria and New South Wales, and nominated also in the Queensland Literary Awards. Laurinda, Alice's first novel, was published in 2014 and was one of Readings' Top 100 bestselling books for the year. She is writing four books around the character Marly for Penguin's Our Australian Girl series.
Alice's writing has appeared in many notable publications including the Monthly, the Age, Meanjin, Best Australian Stories and Best Australian Essays. Alice edited Growing Up Asian in Australia, a collection of personal accounts, essays, short stories and poetry which is currently a set text for the VCE English context on Identity and Belonging.
Alice lives with her husband at Janet Clarke Hall

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